Shelby County Schools Offers New JAG Program for Students

SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) – There are now more opportunities available for Shelby County students to learn the skills needed to join the workforce immediately after graduating from high school.

Shelby County and Montevallo high schools are the first in the district to offer this program.

What district leaders say is special about this program is that it ensures that no student is overlooked.

JAG breaks down the barriers students face to success through instructors like Megan Hale.

“All kids are capable and they just need to be able to tap into that potential and I think that’s really what Jag does,” Hale said.

Students eligible for the program face academic, environmental, income, or personal barriers.

“They face some economic challenges. They may be from a single-parent family, but whatever the case, maybe it’s just helping them gain job skills,” said Julie Godfrey, supervisor of career and technical education for the Shelby County school system.

Hale said students will earn credits toward graduation in a non-traditional classroom setting, including project-based learning, employer engagement and trauma-informed care.

But the support doesn’t end with graduation.

“You check in with them, you call them and see how they’re doing, if they’re still doing the work you assigned them, if they’re enjoying it, but you also check in with their employer and see how they think they’re performing and how they’re doing,” Hale said.

Program data shows that this aid increases student graduation rates. Since 1996, it has helped more than 11,000 students in Alabama.

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